Why sharing your writing is good for you:

my six best tips on how to do it best

“It has never been easy for me to understand why people work so hard to create something beautiful, but then refuse to share it with anyone, for fear of criticism.” — Elizabeth Gilbert.

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Why sharing your writing is good for you

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Sharing your writing is no doubt one of the scariest things about becoming a writer. But it’s also one of the most rewarding things you can do for yourself.

Why? Because when you start sharing your writing you grow. The moment you allow others to read what you have written, you claim your right to call yourself a writer. Until then, you will always feel like an imposter.

Even if publication is not your aim, sharing your writing is what will allow your creativity to blossom. It will free you from your fear.

Like so many people I meet, I used to be a closet writer. To write in a creative voice was my secret dream. For two decades I wrote in an academic voice for a small audience. It was not a bad thing to do for a living, but it left be creatively bereft.

Then one day I went to a creative writing workshop and wrote the opening paragraph of a short story that involved a woman in high heels, a sunset, an unopened letter and a man in a black business suit. I don’t remember what I wrote, but I have a very clear memory of how surprised I was. Sharing what I’d written then and there in front of a bunch of strangers was the most liberating thing I’d ever done. For days later I was on a high and my pen stayed close to my body.

Sharing my writing had made me aware of my creative potential. Where that woman in high heels came from, there were a lot of other characters that I could create.

I knew then that the key to coming out of the closet and claiming my creative voice, was to start sharing my writing.

One of the first things I did when I moved permanently to Hoi An, was to start a weekly writers group.

We meet on Friday mornings and for two hours we are on fire. We do timed free writing sprints to a wide variety of prompts – from introspective journaling, to story starters, poems, sentence stems etc – and we burn through pages of original writing that we had no idea we were capable of doing.

Sharing our writing is hands-down the best part of those two hours.

There are three simple rules: 1. write without stopping to think or edit; 2. share your work without apologising for how crap you think it is; 3. give only supportive & constructive feedback.

Come to think of it, there is a fourth rule: don’t wear mascara. Most weeks there will be tears – tears of sorrow and of joy – because good writing comes from the heart, not the head.

Over the course of a year, I’ve watched how sharing can transform even the most self-critical and insecure writers.

It’s a more than two years now since I founded the Hoi An Writers Group and I’ve done some stock-taking.

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Here are my six best tips on why and how to share your writing:

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1. Share your writing with your peers

What makes sharing in a writers group such a positive experience is that you are doing so with other writers who are intimately familiar with your fear. They know that to your own eyes, what you’ve shared will always look imperfect and bad. They feel the same about their own work.

Reading your words, on the other hand, gives them courage about their own work. It’s of reciprocal benefit. Your peers are the people who will give you the feedback you need to progress with your craft. Your friends and family will not.

2. Don’t share your writing with your family and friends

Sharing your writing with a good friend, or your partner, isn’t a good idea. Trust me on this. For starters, they won’t give you honest feedback. Of course your partner will say something positive, even when it’s crap.

They also won’t be in a position to give you informed feedback. Your friend or partner may be an avid reader, but that does not mean they’ll be able to pin point what’s not working in a scene you’re struggling with or why your voice resonates so strongly when it does.

Worse still, your friends have no idea of how much bravery it took for you to share your writing. Like you, they are busy people and they might disappoint you with a one-liner. ‘Great read’ or ‘I really liked that’ will not give you much by way of feedback. Be prepared to get no response at all. I’ve been there. It’s worse than copping a critical comment.

The best place to share your writing is in a supportive writers group. There are many online writers groups, including this one. In the FREE 7-Day Writing and Meditation Course Facebook group we have been sharing our writing since January. Feel free to join. You can start the e-course any time you are ready.

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3. Sharing creates momentum

If you are serious about getting published, you’ve got to get used to putting yourself out there. Don’t make the mistake I did of endlessly re-writing something you have written to make it perfect. If you do that, you will never move forward and you’ll never get a sense of your true creative potential.

Allow your writing to take on a life of its own. Share it with your writing peers and watch it fly – or die. Criticism is an energy that might feel like a kick in the gut, but it will propel you into action. Trust me!

4. Your eyes don’t see what your reader will see

You’ll learn more about your writing from getting feedback than looking at it yourself over and over again. You can’t look at your own writing with an objective eye. Even the professionals need a second opinion.

A lot of our work comes from the subconscious, which makes you blind to some of the stuff you write. An outsider will be able to spot the nuggets of gold that need polishing and the parts that can be sent to the trash.

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5. Learn from the feedback others receive and give

You will also learn a great deal from the comments other writers receive. I see it in my online writers group. Some of the most lively and interesting conversations always happen in the comments thread on someone’s shared piece of writing.

6. Sharing will liberate your writing voice

When you share your writing, you’ve effectively won the battle with your inner critic. You’ve forced into silent submission the nagging voice that tells you that your writing sucks, that you’re not ready, that you weren’t really inspired today…and all that crap.

When I will press the publish button on this post in a few minutes, I will feel a little pinch of fear in my heart. I’ll be tempted to go back over and over this blog post to find flaws, correct and polish. But I don’t have time for that. I am in my sixth decade now (scary as that is) and I’ve got a book to write.

I write, I press publish, and I let it go because I am itching to move on to the next project.

By sharing regularly, I’ve turned my fear into a creative force that propels me forward. And so can you!

I haven’t shared here for a while and it feels great to be back!

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Your turn to share!

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Be brave. Tell us how sharing your writing makes you feel.

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PS: Writers Groups and online writing communities are the best place to share your writing. In the Facebook Group for the 21-Day Challenge we’ve been sharing our writing since January 2018. We just kept going. Each week we are joined by new writers and the group has grown into a warm and supportive community that’s ideal for newbies. WILL YOU JOIN US?

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I am always surprised when I write to share. Very rewarding experience especially with the lovely feedback from the write your story writing group, so grateful I joined. Working on allowing myself the time to write more often.

So lovely to receive this feedback Sharon. You are one of the writers I’ve watched blossom and grow in that online group. I really believe that being part of a group gives us the confidence to prioritise our writing and giving ourselves permission to do it more often. I am also grateful you joined the group!

Absolutely brilliant advice again Kirstin, to know that we all share this
‘feeling of fear’ when we publish and share our stories, that thought also comes to me, “am I good enough” so glad to know that I am not on my own in these ways of thinking.

The truth is that I have had a long break from writing, through lack of confidence,
but am itching to find my ‘mojo’ again.
The problem for me is that I find it difficult to write creative fiction, my writing is inspired by daily events, life experiences, hopes, desires and sometimes that can be very personal.

You are also right to recommend that we don’t share our musings with friends or family. I stopped doing that a few years ago, for those same reasons. Their attitudes of indifference has sapped my confidence.
I am learning so much from your writing group and looking forward to reading more.
Thank you for again Kerstin for being open and honest, this is so helpful.

Thanks for visiting Victoria and so happy that this resonated with you. Don’t allow indifferent readers to demoralise you. Your friends and family are not your target audience (though they might appreciate what you do). Just keep writing what lights your passion and connecting with like-minded writers/bloggers online to create your community of readers who appreciate your writing.
You don’t have to be plotting an epic work of fiction to call yourself a writer. A writer is someone who writes, regularly, including about personal and everyday things, like yourself.
It’s easy to loose our mojo, it happens to all of us. I believe in having a firm routine and to just do it, every day, no matter what. Something interesting will flow from your pen if you allow it to keep moving. Trust in your passion, you are good enough!
My online writers group is a very safe place to share your writing and many draw incredible confidence from the comments others provide. Good luck, you are on the right path Victoria 🙂 x

Hi I’m Silvia. Indonesia. I’m going to try things naturally came up from my heart and had plans in my head that pour into short writing. I have learnt everything about your sites on writing , Kerstin. It encourages me to do it. Hopefully will be fine and better to be done for me.

Hi I’m SilviaK. Indonesia. I’m going to try things naturally came up from my heart and had plans in my head that pour into short writing. I have learnt everything about your sites on writing , Kerstin. It encourages me to do it. Hopefully will be fine and better to be done for me.

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Hi, I am Kerstin.

I am a published author and former academic with 20 years university teaching experience. I discovered the healing power of writing when I went through a difficult time. Writing was my anchor and allowed me to write a new chapter for myself. I am here to inspire you to bond with your inner writer so that it can lead you on a journey of creative self-exploration and healing. Read more …